Oldest theatre company produces musical milestone
The cast is in full rehearsal mode ahead of the grand opening night at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre in September and tickets are already selling fast.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic is staged and directed by Quintin Young with Musical Direction from Tommie Travers and Assistant Direction from Louise Williamson and will run from September 6 to September 10.
A spokesman for the company said: “We are delighted to be celebrating our 125th birthday with our debut performance of The Sound of Music! Our ever-evolving company has had well over a century to entertain the capital and grow a family of incredible members of whom we are immensely proud. We have assembled a stellar cast and crew for The Sound of Music; some of the greatest performers, creatives, and technical minds in Edinburgh - if not the country! - are working on this production. 125 years is an amazing milestone to reach. It offers an incredible opportunity to reflect on those who have come before and lead the way for us. And to dream of what the next 125 might hold.”
The talented cast make up the company of Edinburgh’s oldest amateur theatre group which was founded in 1897 when the first entry in the Southern Light Opera Company’s original minute book read: “On the evening of the 6th March 1897, in the Union Hotel, Cockburn street, Edinburgh (not now in existence) there met some 19 ladies and 20 gentlemen who formed themselves into the Southern Light Opera Company.”
The company was named for the majority of founding members who lived in the south side of the city. These members gathered to perform light opera in Edinburgh and their legacy, spanning three centuries, lives on 125 years later.
The first five shows were performed in the Operetta House in Chambers Street. The next production marked the company's only performance in Edinburgh's Theatre Royal. From 1902 to 1924 Southern Light performed in the Royal Lyceum Theatre. Since then virtually all the shows have been performed in the King's Theatre on Leven Street. The company is in the Festival Theatre this year as the King’s undergoes a refurbishment.
To find out more about this year’s stunning production of The Sound of Music and to book tickets go to https://www.capitaltheatres.com/whats-on/all-shows/southern-light-the-sound-of-music/2060
This amateur production of The Sound of Music is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk